Melbourne Canteen

by James Glazebrook

We actually went to Melbourne Canteenweeks ago, but we didn’t want to make some sort of statement about supporting English-only businesses in Berlin. Oops – look like we just did! Anyway, when we returned after *that* Exberliner article, we’re happy to confirm that we were offered a German menu – but, more importantly, that the food was still great. The eggs Benedict were among the best we’ve ever had in Berlin, the full Aussie – or whatever they call eggs, bacon and the works down under – was generous and tasty, and (of course) the flat white was near-perfect. Oh, and the walls are decorated with photographic prints from everyone’s new favourite Berlin streetstyle blog, What Ali Wore.

i ate brunch here today with my partner. way above average prices. average food (at best). wayyyyyyy below average service. this cafe really should have a warning sign for customers “after being completely ignored by plentiful staff, prepare to give up and serve yourself a mediocre brunch for two for 30 euros.”

nothing to say about the food although I agree … there is rocket everywhere.
I was one of the first customers because I live 5 minutes from there and I can say that the owner was not sure of what I would call “friendly” to me.

at the beginning (I do not know if it has now been changed) on the menu was “mixed salad” and when a menu says “mixed salad” it is expected that there are different types of salad … but the dish I was offered was a whole pot of rocket with three tomatoes, without even touching it .. I told the waitress that I ate a dish rocket with three tomatoes instead of a salad for 5.00 euro .. the waitress (she was very nice) called the owner who did not want to listen to reason .. I paid the pot of rocket without even proposed that I be something different .. and especially without having eaten …

Thank you all for your nice feed back and support. For your information, the Exberliner rant “Sorry No German” mentioning a restaurant A.K.A “Little Melbourne” in Neukölln, obviously hinting at the Mebourne Canteen, since it is the only restaurant called Melbourne in Neukölln, was written on FALSE FACTS. Our menu is in both English and German (although the writer of the Exberliner rant, as an obvious English speaker was handed out English menu in English). I am the owner of the Melbourne Canteen, and have never had the pleasure to meet the author ot the rant, although she writes that she talked to me and that I could not speak a word of German. Had she actually talked to me we would have conversed in German, because I happen to be German and learned German at school long before she did. Our place is multicultural, as our logo suggests, our staff is also from different backgrounds including German, French, Australian, British, Irish, Hungarian… And all of them speak basic German and are making the effort to serve clients in German. We serve delicious food, all house made with fresh ingreedients and have been praised for it since we opened. Our restaurant seemed to have unfairly been singled out as an all English speaking expat place, solely for the purpose of the rant (the writer of this rant actually boasts about how she bitched in our staff’s back in German), all of which, as one commentor wrote, simply reveals poor journalistic standards. We have protested with the ExBerliner, but they never retrieved their or corrected their print, because that piece gave them publicity.